Picking Flowers in a Garden of Weeds
by xerus
Summary: The truth about picking flowers


Picking Flowers in a Garden of Weeds  
  
A short one-shot inspired by muchtvs (I tweaked the meaning of "picking flowers" just a little) and written in celebration of Victoria Day. A holiday created for Canadians to blame their ugly flower gardens on the excess amount of "beverages" consumed. Because this is also the first "party weekend" of the summer season, it will also be known as Brandywine Weekend, in honour of the hardest working woman in Fanfiction. For this weekend, I have removed the pitchfork from her backside and used it to turn over the compost pile in the backyard.  
  
Josh, in return for my undying love, I trust you won't sue my ass. It's all shelbecat's fault.  
  
Not really a chapter, more like some paragraphs of insane (and sober!) rambling.  
  
No one ever picked flowers for Marissa. Hell, she never even received a crappy bouquet of mini carnations from Ralph's. She was used to getting things. Jewelry, designer clothes, trinkets of love and affection, but never had anyone picked flowers for her.  
  
Caleb and Julie were always in the garden. Their massive, soon to be repossessed house was filled with so many floral arrangements that it seemed that all her mother and that... that... Seth's grandfather did was pick flowers. Marissa knew her mother loved flowers, but even Jimmy didn't pick this many for her.  
  
Luke had picked flowers with Holly and taken her out for seafood. "Shit" Marissa thought darkly, "He even picked flowers with my mother," remembering the small bouquet of violets Luke had given Julie. Did they eat shellfish too? Marissa turned her tiny mind inside out thinking back to Caleb Nichol's birthday party last summer. She had left with Luke, after being so upset over Ryan's near drowning. It should have been her giving him mouth to mouth, not some silicon enhanced life guard. Luke didn't give flowers to Marissa that night. She vaguely remembered something about a cherry. When she got a rash a few days later she thought she might have been allergic to the cherries. Maybe it was the crabs Summer said Luke probably gave her. She definitely didn't remember going out for dinner that night. Did she eat shellfish? Marissa shook her head. It was starting to hurt and she was starting to itch.  
  
Seth made sure he picked flowers for Summer. Summer said he picked so many that her bedroom was starting to smell like a bordello. Marissa couldn't make the connection. What did a house of "ill repute" have to do with picking flowers?  
  
She had asked Ryan to pick some flowers with her, but he had just given her a chaste kiss on the cheek and mumbled something about not being fond of string beans or crabs. She looked at him strangely. She just wanted some damn flowers, not dinner. She knew Ryan and Teresa used to pick flowers together in Chino, but she didn't believe anyone in Chino had flower gardens.  
  
Marissa's dad was picking flowers with Haley. Their tiny two-story hovel only steps from the beach had flowers. Jimmy always had a goofy grin on his face. Marissa wondered why Haley would pick flowers for him. She was a plumber. Not a very good one, because she always had to come over and fix the pipes. She was so bad at it that Jimmy always stood facing Haley while she was on her knees looking for leaks. How was she supposed to see anything with him standing there? How could he see if she was doing a good job when his eyes were closed? Why was he always smiling when Haley was there? How was he ever going to pay all the plumbing bills?  
  
Sandy and Kirsten picked flowers so much that Casa Cohen looked like a funeral parlour. Why were they so happy when their house always reminded Marissa of somebody dying? When Teresa stayed in the pool house it always had flowers in it. Just about every room in the house had flowers, even the laundry room had flowers. Paul the gardener would pick them for Rosa. Rosa always looked so happy. She must like doing laundry. She was always in there.  
  
The only time Seth's room didn't have flowers in it was when Ryan shared the room with him while Teresa was staying in the pool house. She had noticed Teresa's flowers and asked Ryan again to go flower picking with her. Ryan gave her a quick hug and said he would like to, but he was now allergic to flowers. Marissa realized it must be true, because Ryan always looked flushed after visiting Teresa in the pool house. All those flowers in there. Poor thing. At least he'd get a good night's sleep bunking in with Seth. She was so lucky to have a boyfriend like Ryan, even if he didn't pick flowers with her.  
  
Maybe Summer was right. If Marissa wanted flowers so badly, she'd have to pick them herself.  
  
Be grateful this is the end. I'm going back out to the garden. 


End file.
